Professional athletes are often accused of having too many or too nice of cars.  However, amid all that chrome, there is a car that is perfect for every person out there, a car that has the same traits and personality as you.....

Alexander Ovechkin   -    Dodge Nitro

New kids on the block, re-energized once proud organizations that have faltered in recent years.

Alex Rodriguez    -   Maybach 57s

Massively powerful, luxury items, but does anyone really need them?

Jerry Sloan   -   Toyota Corolla

Always there, always productive, largely ignored.

Brian Urlacher   -   Toyota Tundra

Rock solid beasts, belonging to rising organizations.

Devin Hester   -   Bugatti Veyron

Lightning-fast, barely street legal.

Ron Artest  -   Ford Freestar

Useless assets that just don't fit anywhere.

Peyton Manning   -   Kia Automotive

It's their time.

This session of the Ultimate Canadian Blogging Experience is ending...................now.

Work, school, work, exams......and then

WHAM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A five day break after exams.  I have not posted in a while, so I'm getting my name back out there.

The Top Ten Reasons Why the Colts will Win Super Bowl XLI

10.  Their defense has vastly improved.

9.  Tony Dungy is a mastermind at firing up his players.

8.  Rex Grossman is too unpredictable.

7b.  Rex Grossman is too unpredictable.

7.  Joseph Addai and Dominic Rhodes complement each other perfectly.

6.  Tank Johnson will probably shoot Grossman after a quarter so the team will be forced to play Brian Griese or Kyle Orton.

5.  Their wide receiving core is great, save for Marvin Harrison.

4.  Marvin Harrison may be the greatest receiver ever, save for Jerry Rice.

3.  Jerry Rice will not be playing for the Bears.

2.  Peyton Manning has shook his big-game jitters (see - AFC Championship Game 2007).

1.  Adam Vinatieri.

This session of the Ultimate Canadian Blogging Experience is ending...................now.

Yeah, I seem to be getting worse as I go, Week 3  I went 10-4, last week (7) was 7-6.  This Week 8........

Correct Picks - 7 (Titans, Falcons, Bears, Packers, Giants, Chiefs, Chargers)

Incorrect Picks - 7 (Ravens over Saints, Jaguars over Eagles, Raiders over Steelers, Colts over Broncos, Browns over Jets, Cowboys over Panthers, Patriots over Vikings)

With that .500 weekend, that brings my season to.......

24-17

This session of the Ultimate Canadian Blogging Experience is ending...........now.

T.O. --- I OWN this league    --McNabb=wank-- says:

yo

Chaddd    858585------Ocho Cinco-------858585  Cincy for Super BOWL champs says:

whats up

T.O. --- I OWN this league    --McNabb=wank-- says:

ntm   urself???

Chaddd    858585------Ocho Cinco-------858585  Cincy for Super BOWL champs says:

actually workin on a new TD celebration

T.O. --- I OWN this league    --McNabb=wank-- says:

oh......sweet

Chaddd    858585------Ocho Cinco-------858585  Cincy for Super BOWL champs says:

yah  its totally gonna be sick

T.O. --- I OWN this league    --McNabb=wank-- says:

u do know TO's the master of the TD celebration??

Chaddd    858585------Ocho Cinco-------858585  Cincy for Super BOWL champs says:

BS  you goof, Ocho Cinco's proposed to a cheerleader, handed out footballs as gifts and holed putts in the endzone.   I'd call that mastery of celebrations.

T.O. --- I OWN this league    --McNabb=wank-- says:

TO does pushups, TO does chicken dance, TO defaces others.

Chaddd    858585------Ocho Cinco-------858585  Cincy for Super BOWL champs says:

wow  nice job ####   hb u call someone who cares??  mcnabb maybe??

T.O. --- I OWN this league    --McNabb=wank-- says:

screw that guy

Chaddd    858585------Ocho Cinco-------858585  Cincy for Super BOWL champs says:

add him   lol      phillyqb5 @ hotmail.com

Chaddd    858585------Ocho Cinco-------858585  Cincy for Super BOWL champs says:

or maybe jeff garcia??     iofficiallyhateto @ yahoo.com

T.O. --- I OWN this league    --McNabb=wank-- says:

yeah right   dude   i dont even wanna hear that name in my presence.

T.O. --- I OWN this league    --McNabb=wank-- says:

ur a fool Chad

Chaddd    858585------Ocho Cinco-------858585  Cincy for Super BOWL champs says:

from now on youll call me Ocho Cinco, in reverance of my Spanish heritage.

T.O. --- I OWN this league    --McNabb=wank-- says:

whatever guy.   I gtg lift so i can own ur #### come playoff time     cya

Chaddd    858585------Ocho Cinco-------858585  Cincy for Super BOWL champs says:

Ocho Cinco says later

This session of the Ultimate Canadian Blogging Experience is ending...............now.

Yes, I'm going for it two weeks in a row.  Last week was 7-6 and in Week 3 I managed to amount a record of 10-4, for an overall season of 17-10.  Hopefuly, I'll be able to continue the winning record.

Well, here they are.....

Matchup:  San Franciso 49ers vs. Chicago Bears

My Pick:  Chicago 33 - San Francisco 10

Why:  The Bears are a monster of a team.  The offense is establishing itself, as the defense, behind Brian Urlacher and Tommie Harris, continues to obliterate people.  It will be very difficult for the toothless 49ers to get a win in Chicago.

Matchup:  Atlanta Falcons vs. Cincinnati Bengals

My Pick:  Atlanta 40 - Cincinnati 24

Why:  I've underestimated and underappreciated Atlanta this season.  Their running attack is wildly dangerous (Warrick Dunn, 4th in the NFL in rushing and we all know what Michael Vick can do) and should run wild over the weak defense in Cincy (over 320 yards allowed per game). 

Matchup:  Arizona Cardinals vs. Green Bay Packers

My Pick:  Green Bay 20 - Arizona 17

Why:  I said to myself a million times before I wrote this: don't take Arizona.  I picked them in both previous weeks and they burned me.  Hell, I even picked them for the Super Bowl and look what's happened.  Green Bay takes this game for the simple fact that they are incredibly tough at home, Brett Favre is masterful at Lambeau.

Matchup:  Seattle Seahawks vs. Kansas City Chiefs

My Pick:  Kansas City 22 - Seattle 14

Why:  The Seahawks are ####ed up.  Matt Hasselbeck may miss this game.  There was still doubt about Shaun Alexander's availability at last check.  Kansas City is still a solid team, even after their offense has been somewhat torn apart over the last few years.  Look for the Seahawks to shut down Larry Johnson, however, and for the passing game to flourish.

Matchup:  Baltimore Ravens vs. New Orleans Saints

My Pick:  New Orleans 17 - Baltimore 14

Why:  The Saints are for real!  And I like them in this game, which should be very close, matching, mainly, Reggie Bush against Ray Lewis.  In a battle that could go either way, I like Bush, because he has an excellent passing attack behind him that he can fall back to.

Matchup:  Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. New York Giants

My Pick:  New York 35 - Tampa Bay 10

Why:  The Giants are coming.  The core offense of Eli Manning, Plaxico Burress and Tiki Barber will only be together until the end of this year, so may as well go all out now.  The Bucs have burned me several times when I bet against them, hopefully the trend will be Buc-ked in this game.

Matchup:  Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Philadelphia Eagles

My Pick:  Philadelphia 20 - Jacksonville 14

Why:  This should be a great game, between two great teams.  The Eagles have been surprising this year, as has pivot Donovan McNabb.  Jacksonville can be dangerous however, when called upon, and should keep the game close.

Matchup:  Houston Texans vs. Tennessee Titans

My Pick:  Tennessee 21 - Houston 7

Why:  This game is stupid and pointless, and I wouldn't even be picking a winner, if I didn't pick one for every game on the sked.  I'll take the Titans to keep the trend of home team winners going (so far, I've only gone with one visitor).

Matchup:  St. Louis Rams vs. San Diego Chargers

My Pick:  San Diego 40 - St. Louis 35

Why:  The Rams, I believe have been overachieving, and its about time they were pulled back to reality.  The Chargers are a powerful offensive and defensive team, and their offense will be too powerful the Ram D (ranked 24th in overall defense).  This should be a high-flying game, and the well-rounded team takes the cake.

Matchup:  New York Jets vs. Cleveland Browns

My Pick:  New York 17 - Cleveland 10

Why:  Simple reason: the Browns suck, the Jets are at least an acceptable NFL team.

Matchup:  Indianapolis Colts vs. Denver Broncos

My Pick:  Denver 30 - Indianapolis 27

Why:  Yes, after Sunday, there will be only one remaining undefeated team.  The demise of the Colts perfect season will be due to a Denver offense that is quite dangerous, if not very recognized.  RB Tatum Bell sits third in league rushing and the passing attack is no slouch either.

Matchup:  Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Oakland Raiders

My Pick:  Pittsburgh 25 - Oakland 24

Why:  Another mismatch on paper, this game will probably be closer than most people think.  Talentwise and emotionwise, the Steelers are not the Super Bowl team from last season.  The Raiders are tough at home and can sneak up on people.

Matchup:  Dallas Cowboys vs. Carolina Panthers

My Pick:  Carolina 27 - Dallas 17

Why:  Can't go against Carolina again.  They ruined me last week and they are a very good team, with a shot at the title.  After last week's loss to New York, things will begin to unravel in Dallas.  After a good 98 yard game against NY, expect TO to disappear, let's say 3 catches for 12 yards.

Matchup:  New England Patriots vs. Minnesota Vikings

My Pick:  Minnesota 21 - New England 20

Why:  Should be a close game, on Monday night.  The VIkings, at home, will use Chester Taylor in perfect harmony with Brad Johnson and go hogwild on the Pats suspect, aging defense.

Well there they are.

This session of the Ultimate Canadian Blogging  Experience is ending..............now.

Well, in my second week of picking winners in the National Football League (I also chose them in Week 3), I had an average week, could've been a lot better.

First let's see how I did.....

Correct Picks - 7 - (New England, NY Jets, Kansas City, Cincinnati, Denver, Indianapolis, NY Giants)

Incorrect Picks - 6 - (ATL over PIT, GB over MIA, HOU over JAX (WTF!?), TB over PHI, OAK over ARI (WTF!?), MIN over SEA)

Yes, a couple strange outcomes, I definitely did not expect the Houston over Jacksonville result for sure......the Oakland win also caught me off guard......I may have to say that now I will start to bet against Arizona, as I went with them to win the Super Bowl and we all know what happened....I was a bit leery about the Atlanta game, and I almost took the Falcons, they have a dangerous offense and I got burned for missing that point......I figured Indy was a safe bet to win.......same goes for Denver over Cleveland and NE over Buffalo.....overall an acceptable week, I'll give it another go for Week 8, if I can find the time.

So, when this 7-6 week is combined with my 10-4 score for Week 3, the total amounts to.....

17-10 for the season, better than Dr Z (23-22).

This session of the Ultimate Canadian Blogging Experience is ending.......now.

I did some NFL picks back in Week 3, the only time this season that I've done them.  That week I went 10-4, so if I can make even 4-9 this week, I'll be better than .500, better than "expert" Peter King.   So here they are.....

Matchup:  Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Atlanta Falcons

My Pick:  Pittsburgh-17   Atlanta-10

Why:  The Steelers are starting to hit their defending Super Bowl champion stride.  Although the Falcons have one the craziest rushing offenses in all of football, the Steelers tough D will have their way with inconsistent Michael Vick, while plugging the running lanes.  At least 2 picks from Vick to be expected.

Matchup:  New England Patriots vs. Buffalo Bills

My Pick:  New England-21   Buffalo-20

Why:  Although the Pats have lost several key ingredients, they still have Tom Brady.  He still knows the importance of a midseason divisional matchup.  New England's the pick, in a close game.

Matchup:  Carolina Panthers vs. Cincinnati Bengals

My Pick:  Cinncinati-45   Carolina-25

Why:  Two great offenses collide in what should be a great game.  Cincinnati, I believe, is the better rounded team here.  They do not want to lose any ground to the up and coming Steelers or the surprising Ravens.  Also, the game is in their house, and marching in Cincy to take a win is a difficult task at best,

Matchup:  Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Houston Texans

My Pick:  Jacksonville-30   Houston-3

Why:  An easy choice.  Houston is floundering on all cylinders, and their top overall pick continues to flounder with the rest of the team.  I wouldn't be surprised to see them lose out the season.

Matchup:  San Diego Chargers vs. Kansas City Chiefs

My Pick:  Kansas City-19   San Diego-18

Why:  The Chiefs are tough at home.  Plus, although Philip Rivers has performed admirably so far, he will soon crack under the pressure of the playoff drive.  Kansas City still has a dangerous offense.  Trent Green is steady and Larry Johnson can light up any team on any given day.

Matchup:  Green Bay Packers vs. Miami Dolphins

My Pick:  Miami-24   Green Bay-10

Why:  Its about time for Daunte Culpepper and the Fins to get off their schnide, and what better time to do it than at home against against a severely struggling Green Bay squad.  Although Miami's season is all but over, may as well start playing well and look forward to next season.

Matchup:  Detroit Lions vs. New York Jets

My Pick:  New York-17   Detroit-13

Why:  The Lions, outside of Roy Williams, are reeling.  Chad Pennington and the Jets are surprising a lot of people this year with their unexpected success.   Jets to win a close one.

Matchup:  Philadelphia Eagles vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

My Pick:  Philadelphia-52   Tampa Bay-24

Why:  Donovan McNabb has been superb so far, spreading the ball around and just outright producing for his team.  He seems to breathe easier without the T.O. odour in the Philly air.  McNabb will use his success to the advantage of his rushers in this game, as the Bucs expect big pass plays, McNabb will allow his speedy rushing core to hit Tampa's weak line with good success.

Matchup:  Denver Broncos vs. Cleveland Browns

My Pick:  Denver-40   Cleveland-6

Why:  A simple mismatch.  The powerhouse Broncos march into Cleveland and obliterate the Browns.

Matchup:  Washington Redskins vs. Indianapolis Colts

My Pick:  Indianapolis-21   Washington-16

Why:  Had this game been in Washington and not Indy, I may have taken the underdog.  However, it is in Indy and the power of the Colts offense is undeniable.  The members of said offense should run wild over the Redskins suspect D.

Matchup:  Arizona Cardinals vs. Oakland Raiders

My Pick:  Arizona-40   Oakland-14

Why:  I actually thought Arizona for Super Bowl champions, and we all know how that is working out for them.  Yet due to the terrible-ness of Oakland, and the talent of Arizona, the Cardinals are the easy choice in this western showdown.

Matchup:  Minnesota Vikings vs. Seattle Seahawks

My Pick:  Seattle-22   Minnesota-18

Why:  With the possible return of Shaun Alexander for this game, that adds an entire new element.  Confidence.  With the Hawks already riding atop the NFC West, the addition of Alexander adds a whole new element of skill.  Maybe another trip to the Super Bowl is in store?  Only time will tell.

Matchup:  New York Giants vs. Dallas Cowboys

My Pick:  New York-25   Dallas-24

Why:  A huge game on monday night, to determine who sits second in the NFC East.  The estimate is that the biggest stars come out on the biggest stage in the biggest moment.  I'm predicting a 150 yard game for Terrell Owens, as the Giants waltz into Cowboy Stadium and steal a MASSIVE win.

There you have it.

This session of the Ultimate Canadian Blogging Experience is ending.............now.

Why not?  I've already done this for half of the four major sports, may as well cover America's Pastime as well.

So here it is.......

The Top Ten Best Players in MLB

10.  Derek Jeter, shortstop, New York Yankees

9.  Joel Zumaya, pitcher, Detroit Tigers

8.  Jose Reyes, shortstop, New York Mets

7.  David Wright, third base, New York Mets

6.  Justin Morneau, first base, Minnesota Twins

5.  Jason Bay, outfielder, Pittsburgh Pirates

4.  Ryan Howard, first base, Philadelphia Phillies

3.  Chris Carpenter, pitcher, St.  Louis Cardinals

2.  Albert Pujols, first base, St.  Louis Cardinals

1.  Reed Johnson, outfielder, Toronto Blue Jays

There you have it.

This session of the Ultimate Canadian Blogging Experience is ending............now.

After some interesting debate and opinions followed my "Top Ten Best NFL  Players" post, I decided, what the heck, why not do EXACTLY the same thing, with a different league?

So here it is.....

The Top Ten Best Players in the NHL

10.  Antero Nittymaki, goaltender, Philadelphia Flyers

9.  Jonathan Cheechoo, forward, San Jose Sharks

8.  Jarome Iginla, forward, Calgary Flames

7.  Sidney Crosby, forward, Pittsburgh Penguins

6.  Vitaly Vishnevski, defenseman, Los Angeles Kings

5.  Dion Phaneuf, defenseman, Calgary Flames

4.  Jaromir Jagr, forward, New York Rangers

3.  Alexander Ovechkin, forward, Washington Capitals

2.  Joe Thornton, forward, San Jose Sharks

1.  Miikka Kiprusoff, goaltender, Calgary Flames

There you have it.

This session of the Ultimate Canadian Blogging Experience is ending.........now.

As I begin starting to write this poem,

I hope it will be more popular than that elusive garden gnome.

A poem about bloggers and athletes coming right up,

But will Canada ever make the World Cup?

As us bloggers continue to write stuff from our computer chairs,

Yankees manager Joe Torre pulls out the last of his hairs.

Because his Yankees have lost the pennant this year,

But for them I do not shed a single tear,

For when your payroll is 150 million bucks,

If the World Series eludes you, you SHOULD be screaming, "Holy ####s!"

But the Tigers are on the other side of the ball,

They made a rise instead of a fall.

For its almost impossible to fall farther through,

When your previous season losses number 122.

And in the NFL, the T.O. circus rolls on,

Did he try to commit suicide or was it just a con?

To get the media off his back,

For maybe his brashness houses a subliminal track,

That T.O. is really a soft man,

Doubt it, but I can see A-Rod as a Blue Jay, I really can.

Well, that's it for this time,

I'm down to almost my last rhyme.

So as the blogging universe continues to spin,

With all the little bloggers aiming to become blogging's kingpin,

All of us might not be from the US of A (like me),

But we are bloggers, and bloggers we shall be.

This poetic session of the Ultimate Canadian Blogging Experience is ending.........now.

As I have not posted in nearly a month, I decided to get back into the swing of things with a simple, easy, yet debateable post.  As the hours of my life are consumed with school, homework and work, I have finally found a free evening to post.  

Well let's get right to it......

The Top Ten Best Players in the NFL

10.  Neil Rackers, kicker, Arizona Cardinals

9.  Anquan Boldin, wide receiver, Arizona Cardinals

8.  Ed Reed, safety, Baltimore Ravens

7.  Antonio Gates, tight end, San Diego Chargers

6.  Larry Fitzgerald, wide receiver, Arizona Cardinals

5.  TJ Houdsmanzadeh, tight end, Cincinnati Bengals

4.  LaDainian Tomlinson, running back, San Diego Chargers

3.  Steve Hutchinson, left guard, Minnesota Vikings

2.  Peyton Manning, quarterback, Indianapolis Colts

1.  Shawne Merriman, linebacker, San Diego Chargers

There you have it....

This session of the Ultimate Canadian Blogging Experience is ending......now.

Matchup:  New York Jets vs. Buffalo Bills

My Pick:  Bills 24 - Jets 17

Why:  This season is going to be dreadful for the Jets, as Chad Pennington's legs wear out and they lose Curtis Martin forever.  It will be even more dreadful, as J.P. and co. defeat them in this battle of the AFC East likely bottom dwellers.

Matchup:  Green Bay Packers vs. Detroit Lions

My Pick:  Lions 33 - Packers 7

Why:  The Packers won't scare anybody this year, including their division rivals.  Kevin Jones is an emerging back and Roy Williams is a great receiver.  Both should have big season and big games.

Matchup:  Washington Redskins vs. Houston Texans

My Pick:  Redskins - Texans 6

Why:  David Carr is still light years away from becoming an elite, or even good quarterback in the NFL.  While his offensive line has been blamed in past years (quite deservedly), Carr simply hasn't gotten the job done.  The Redskins D will make him pay, Sean Taylor gets 2 sacks.

Matchup:  Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Indianapolis Colts

My Pick:  Colts 45 - Jaguars 35

Why: The Colts will not be denied a Super Bowl berth this year.  They will rise to the occasion against their biggest division rivals and crush them, in a firewagon game.  Peyton Manning, Brandon Stokely, Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne are simply too good to be ignored.

Matchup:  Tennesse Titans vs. Miami Dolphins

My Pick:  Dolphins 25 - Titans 14

Why:  Any team stacks up well against Tennesse.  Ronnie Brown will tear up the Titans weak run defense, for, let's say 150 yards.

Matchup:  Chicago Bears vs. Minnesota Vikings

My Pick:  Bears 20 - Vikings 19

Why:  Minnesota is always a hard town to play in, but if Rex Grossman's Week 3 performance is any indication, he may have finally crossed the barrier from #### QB to good pro quarterback.

Matchup:  Cinncinati Bengals vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

My Pick:  Bengals 10 - Pittsburgh 9

Why:  I'm going with the massive upset pick.  Big Ben and the Steelers are almost impossible to bring down at home.  However Rudi Johnson will have a field day with any defense, including the one featuring...duh duh duh...Joey Porter.  I also like their new acquistion, safety Dexter Jackson, he should have a pick in the game.

Matchup:  Carolina Panthers vs.  Tampa Bay Buccaneers

My Pick:  Buccaneers 24 - Panthers 22

Why:  The Buccaneers are coming together and they will rise to the occasion against their toughest division foe.  This game may be their best chance to steal the weird but wonderful division that is the NFC South.

Matchup:  Baltimore Ravens vs. Cleveland Browns

My Pick:  Baltimore 40 - Cleveland 6

Why:  An easy choice, the Browns are terrible and don't really even deserve to be an NFL team.

Matchup:  St. Louis Rams vs. Arizona Cardinals

My Pick:  Cardinals 17 - Rams 10

Why:  I'm picking the Cardinals for Super Bowl champions, they should have a cakewalk over the Rams, with their potent offense attack (see Kurt Warner, Edge James, Larry Fitzgerald, Anquan Boldin, Neil Rackers, in no order of importance).

Matchup:  Philadelphia Eagles vs. San Francisco 49ers

My Pick:  Eagles 29 - 49ers 0

Why:  I know I'm picking a lot of road teams, which is never a good idea.  However the 49ers are another one of those horrible teams who everybody is expected to beat.  Even without T.O., the Eagles have looked pretty impressive this year.  I expect a rout.

Matchup:  New York Giants vs. Seattle Seahawks

My Pick:  Seahawks 30 - Giants 27

Why:  Shaun Alexander is still one of the most dangerous players in the entire league, coupled with Eli Manning's continued struggle to develop as a passer, results with a narrow victory for the home side.

Matchup:  Denver Broncos vs. New England Patriots

My Pick:  Denver 20 - New England 17

Why:  Denver is a dangerous team.  The losses on the New England defense will be lit up by Jake Plummer and co, for a narrow win.

Matchup:  Atlanta Falcons vs. New Orleans Saints

My Pick:  New Orleans 10 - Atlanta 6

Why:  If my facts are straight, this game marks the return of the Saints to the Superdome.  For obvious reasons, the team and the fans will be pumped to the roof and this will translate into a victory for the team.  The emotional roller coaster will continue to roll.

Those are the picks for Week 3.

This session of the Ultimate Canadian Blogging Experience is ending......now.

Well not that Rick DiPietro is literally a child (he's older than me), but the over-used metaphor does happen to work in this situation.

The story goes like this: On Tuesday the New York Islanders signed goaltender Rick DiPietro to a 15 year contract, worth a reported 67.5 million dollars.  The deal is the second-longest in the history of North American professional sports, with only Magic Johnson's 25 yr/$25 M contract with the LA Lakers being longer.

There have been other long contracts that have not fit into the same category.  Wayne Gretzky signed a 21 year human interests deal with the Edmonton Oilers in the early 80s, but the one that trumps them all, Steve Young's 43-year contract with a team in the now defunct USFL, which was terminated once the league folded.

The strange thing about the DiPietro contract is that the 24 year old has never really shown the talent  that was hyped when he was drafted as an 18 year old.  Now, five seasons into his career, he has not really done anything that would warrant a struggling franchise locking him up for 15 years.  The signing was so strange that it brought speculation that owner Charles Wang has a soft spot for the goalie.   Even if DiPietro is forced to retire because of an injury, he will still be shown the money. 

While this deal may not have the notoriety of Alex Rodriguez's 10 yr/$255 M contract signed with the Texas Rangers, it is far stranger.  I will not be suprised if DiPietro is gone before the 15 years are up, just as A-Rod bolted for the New York Yankees at the first sign of struggle in Texas.

This session of the Ultimate Canadian Blogging Experience is ending..........now.

Tonight it will be decided, which eight drivers will grab the eight remaining (still claimable) spots in the Chase for the Cup, and who will be left as the odd man out.  This is the definition of tight competition.   Any of nine drivers can be eliminated from the Chase, including defending champion Tony Stewart, four-time champion Jeff Gordon and four-time runner-up Mark Martin.

There's not much else to say, except that Richmond can be an unforgiving track where tempers will tend to run high, especially with all that's on the line.

So, basically, everyone enjoy the race.

This short and pointless session of the Ultimate Canadian Blogging Experience is ending......now.

In the second induction ever held for the Babe Magnet Hall of Fame, one man was honoured with one of the greatest honours an athlete can receive.   Although I regret that the "nominees" post was never updated to include pictures and bios of the nominees, several judges cast their votes anyways and for that I am grateful.

The decision was clear.  The only athlete of the distinguished nominees (Andre Agassi, David Ortiz, Michael Schumacher, Damon Allen, Justin Morneau) that deserved to be inducted was Agassi.

All who voted, voiced "yes!" for Agassi to be inducted into the Hall.   As you probably know, being the astute sports fan that you are, Agassi recently played the final tournament of his professional tennis career at the US Open.  The eight-time major winner bowed out in the third round to unheralded Benjamin Becker, after toppling Marcos Baghdatis to reach that point.  The irony was that the match versus Becker was supposed to be his easiest.  Becker was a qualifier and the first two matches were against much tougher opponents.  However Agassi was fighting an extremely sore back.   His final tournament showed us the final piece of what has been: a great tennis career, the evolution of the rebel into the humanitarian, and the final farewell of one of the greatest players and men that the game of tennis has ever seen.

A worthy inductee, Agassi takes his place beside Tiger Woods as the only athletes to have ever received this honour.  Congratulations.

This session of the Ultimate Canadian Blogging Experience is ending..........now.